Fire Flower
by MysticVeil
Summary: It's amazing to me how something that seems to delicate and gentle, could show it's true fire under the correct circumstances. To me, Katniss Everdeen seemed harmless and weak... But she proved me wrong.
1. Chapter 1

Cato POV

Fire weed is a purple flower that, at dusk, turns into fire. Well, not exactly into fire, but into a fiery red shade. They always fascinated me, because they would seem delicate and fragile, but then showed their true fire in the end. Someone reminded me of these flowers. Katniss Everdeen.

o0o

At first I hated her. She upstaged me at the parade, and I wanted her dead. We were at the Training Center, and I stared at me. She turns to me, she looks scared. I snarled, and glared at her. Her drunken mentor sees me, and then pushes her towards the door.

Be careful, girl on fire. I will kill you.

o0o

However, she started to impress me during training. We're in group combat. Katniss and Marvel are up first.

Katniss walks up to join Marvel on the mat. Marvel throws a glance at Glimmer, and snorts at Katniss. Katniss glares at him, and then the whistle blows. Marvel jumps on her, and pins her to the ground. Katniss struggles, and then she's able to knee him in the side. He groans and loosens his grip. Katniss quickly elbows him in the neck, and then kicks him and the whistle blows, signaling the end.

Katniss goes back to her district

'partner, and Marvel stumbled back to Glimmer who seemed humiliated. I look at Katniss, who caught my eyes once again. She glares at me, but I simply nodded. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, and I almost did the same. I didn't know why I nodded. I didn't want to show her I was glad she beat Marvel. Yes... that's the reason. It has to be.

o0o

We're on the pedestals, waiting for the countdown to end. I'm ready to fight, to kill. I look around, and my eyes land on Katniss. I nod again. The nod is to show that I… respect her, as much as I hate to admit it. Maybe more than respect her, but she will never know. She nods back at me… and then the countdown ends.


	2. Chapter 2

**Cato POV**

It is the first night in the arena, and I am walking silently through the forest. I've left Clove, Marvel, Peeta and Glimmer to hunt down the other tributes. I am after one in particular.

A branch whips me in the face, and I let out a small growl. And I hear something from overhead, like someone catching their breath. I freeze, and listen for any other noise. My eyes are starting to adjust to the darkness, and I am able to see the outlines of the trees and bushes. It is completely silent, so I take a quiet step sideways, and crane my neck to look up at the tree. And I see the outline of a person lying on a tree branch. The person turns, and I can see her braid dangling in the air. I know it's Katniss. The one I was after. But I wasn't after her to kill her. I want her to join us. I didn't say a word to the others, I didn't give a hint to my idea. But I am the leader, and whether they like it or not, she will join us. Because she's a little ball of fire, and I know she will be a fighter.

"Katniss? I know it's you," I say.

"What do you want?" she asks.

"I want to talk to you. Come down here." I respond.

"Are you crazy?"

"I won't hurt you. Come down," I ask. I hear a sigh, and then she unties herself and wiggles out of her sleeping bag. She climbs down, really fast actually. She lands on her feet and then she glares at me. "What do you want?" she asks again. Her voice is icy, and she sounds annoyed and angry.

"I want you to join us. You're a fighter-"

"Did you really just ask me that?!" she almost screamed. My hand flew to her mouth, because the others might be close and Glimmer would shoot her before I could tell them. Katniss shakes my hand off and stares at me with wide eyes.

"Cato... this is crazy. Alliances are illegal... but regardless of that, they don't happen between... _us_," she said, emphasizing the last word. I felt a weird feeling in my chest... but I ignored it.

"Katniss, what supplies do you have? A sleeping bag, a knife maybe. How long do you think you'll survive?" I ask her.

"Why do you care?" she asks me. I open my mouth to answer but then I close it, not willing to answer her. I've been attracted to her since I saw her, but I hated her. Then the hate wore off and I started to respect her at the Training Center. I've had feelings for her since the day I saw her, whether they were hateful, respectful or more. They were always there and always would be there. And I wanted her to be where I could watch her, protect her and just be with her. But I couldn't tell her that.

But I still need her.

"Come with us." I ask her.

"I'll take my chances on my own," she says. I sigh, and look away, as does Katniss. I look back after a few moments, and I can't help but take her face in my hand. She stares at me, and I rub my thumb across her lips. She takes a step forward, closing the space between us.

"Good luck, girl on fire." I whisper. Then I pull away from her, and run into the forest.

**Katniss POV**

I close my eyes while Cato whispers in my ear. And then his hand leaves my face, and the cold air replaces it instead. I open my eyes, and my instincts kick in. I climb the tree as quickly as I can, praying that it hides me, in case the other careers are close. I crawl into my sleeping bag, and stare at the glittering stars. How could I go with the careers? That's just... ridiculous. Insane.

But I know that I do want to go... but not because I want to be with the careers. Because I want to be with one person... and him only.


	3. Chapter 3

**Katniss POV**

I wake up the next day to an odd beeping sound. I look up, and I see a silver parachute floating down. I'm puzzled, because it is the second day and it is very unusual to get a parachute already. I slip out of my sleeping bag and grab the parachute. It is really small, and when I open the small silver tin, I see only a note.

The Capitol is not buying the star-cross lovers thing anymore. Join the careers.

Don't let your guard down.

-H

I scowl at the note, and then shove it in my pocket. Haymitch wants me to join the careers? I thought he would have been completely against the idea. And the Capitol doesn't like the star-crossed lovers anymore? Well, I can't say I am sad about that. I have never spoken to Peeta a day in my life, and Haymitch expected us to be in love? No chance of that.

I stay in my tree for a little while longer, and then hunger forces me to leave. I get out of my sleeping bag and roll it up, and then pack everything away. I climb down and hurry to check my snares. I find a rabbit. My mouth waters, and I know I can't eat it raw, so I walk to the dead girls fire from last night. I fell asleep soon after Cato left, but then I awoke to a scream, and then fell asleep again.

The coals of the dying fire are still hot, so I cook the rabbit. The smell is so tempting, and it's hard for me to resist, but I am somehow able to. When it's finally done, I kick dirt over the coals and then start walking. I chew on the rabbit meat as I walk, and for a while, I just walk silently through the forest. Once my stomach is full, I wrap the rest of the rabbit in plastic, and then I realize how badly I need water. I look for any traces, mud, anything. Then I hear the rush of air, and then a knife lodges in the tree merely an inch from my nose. I gasp and jump backwards, and look for the person who threw the knife. And then I see Clove and Glimmer. I have to swallow a shriek, and then fear seizes me.

Glimmer grins, and Clove glares at me. She takes another step, and then lounges at me. I am frozen and then my instinct's kick in. I take off running, and I can hear Glimmer and Clove running behind me. I leap over a fallen log, and I take a chance to glance behind me, but I see a knife whizzing through the air, and it pierces my forehead. I involuntarily let out a cry. I trip over a root and land face first in the dirt. I scramble to my feet, and lurch forwards, batting branches and leaves out of my way. I don't know if I can escape the nearing threat, so I pray, beg for something to save me.

**Cato POV**

I am with Marvel and lover boy, just scouting out the arena. Marvel is talking random shit, and I have just tuned him out. I kick rocks out of my way, and then slap away a branch, and get a little satisfaction when it smacks Marvel in the face.

"What the hell?" he growls. I turn, anger boiling up inside me, but before I can yell at him, I hear something. Not a scream, but a cry of pain. I shove past Marvel, who runs after me. Peeta has trouble keeping up with us.

I leap over logs and huge tree roots, and soon I spot a figure running through the trees. I spot the familiar, dark brown braid. Katniss. She looks behind her, and then launches herself over a log. I'm amazed at how far she can jump. I didn't realize how close I was to her, until I feel her crash into me. We both grunt as we fall to the ground, intertwined. Katniss untangles herself from me and crawls backwards. I look at her, and then, almost in slow motion, I see another knife sails through the air... aimed directly at Katniss. I jump forward, push Katniss out-of-the-way, and we both land on the soft moss. I roll off her, jump up and yank her up as well. Another knife comes at us, and I pull Katniss out-of-the-way just in time.

"Stop it, Clove!" I yell. Clove stares at me with wide eyes, clearly confused.

I turn back to Katniss, who looks frightened. I grab her, and practically lift her up so I can whisper in her ear.

"Join us, now. Say it. If not, you're dead, fire girl." I say. I am speaking so quietly that I know no one else can hear me. She pulls away from me, and stares at me. I nod, and then the others are surrounding us.

"Well, what do you say, fire girl?" I ask. Glimmer gaps, Marvel's mouth drops, Peeta nearly drops his spear and Clove stares at me.

"I... I, ugh, yes. Yes," she says.

"Welcome to the alliance, Katniss Everdeen."

**_Hello, lovely readers :) I am terribly sorry this chapter is so short, the next one will be longer, I promise :) please review!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Katniss POV**

It is my first night with the careers, and to say I'm scared is a understament.

I am sitting away from the others, who are lying around a fire. Even Peeta is with them. He has barely glanced at me since I joined them. Glimmer is sitting next to Cato, and she's trying to sit seductively. Clove shoots her a little glare, and then rolls over and begins sharpening her knives. I notice how she keeps glancing at Peeta, and he at her. Then I notice how they both, quite casually, inch closer to each other. If I wasn't watching them closely, I wouldn't have noticed. Once they were sitting fairly close to each other, Clove continued sharpening her knives, and Peeta played with his water bottle. I begin thinking about times in the Training Center, when the two of them would look at each other the same way they are now.

I don't think Peeta and I were ever the true star-crossed lovers.

Soon, everyone has fallen asleep. Cato is on watch tonight, and I can tell Glimmer was angry because she was hoping to sleep beside him. After Cato snaps at her to leave him alone, to which I couldn't help but smile, she sneers at him, and then goes to sleep close to Marvel. Peeta and Clove have fallen asleep, back to back.

I stay where I am, unwilling to move. Cato has wandered over to the tree line, plucked a flower and is back on the ground. I look at the ground, and begin to play with a handful of grass. After a few minutes, I look up to see Cato watching me.

"Come over," he says. I hesitate, but I do join him. The whole time, the warning Haymitch gave me is buzzing in my head.

Don't let your guard down.

I sit beside Cato, and wrap my arms around my knees. I am still scared, and then I realize how thirsty I am. I still haven't had a drink since the games started. I spot a water bottle resting beside Cato. I stare at it, and he catches me staring. He snorts, and then holds it out to me. My body moves faster than my brain, and I grab hold of the water bottle and drink half of it. And then the other half. I hand Cato the empty bottle, and he smirks at me when he realizes it's empty.

"Thirsty?" he asks, still smirking.

"Sorry," I say, a blush creeping to my cheeks.

He smirk grows, and then he just shrugs. "Don't worry about it," he says and then looks back at the flower he's looking at. I look at it two. It's a beautiful, delicate looking purple flower. But I've never seen it before.

"What is that?" I ask him. He opens his mouth to answer me, but then he decides against it. He throws the flower away.

"You should get some rest," he says. "You'll be tired tomorrow."

"What about you?" I ask.

"I'll be fine," he says.

I nod, and then lie down, close to him, and roll over. "Cato?" I ask.

"Yes?" he asks.

"Thank you." I say.

"You're welcome..." he says softly. Sleep is beckoning me, so I close my eyes and curl up. Just as I'm about to fall asleep, I hear him say one last thing.

"Fire flower."

**Cato POV**

Katniss is asleep beside me, her chest rising and falling delicately with each breath she takes. She is close to me, and then she sighs and rolls over, falling place right beside me, so that her head is almost resting on my thigh. I don't move her, because I don't mind having her so close.

I wait three hours before waking Marvel for watch. I carefully stand, making sure Katniss doesn't hit her head as I move. I walk over to Marvel and kick him. He sat up immediately, pulling his knife out. I leap back, just as the knife would have come in contact with my stomach.

"Watch it." I growl. If he had so much as touch me with that knife, I would have killed him before he could have wiped the sleep out of his eyes.

"Whatever," he mumbles and then walks over to a place far from me. I glare at him, and then I turn and go back to Katniss. I lie down beside her, and then roll back on my back and stare at the sky. I hear Katniss stir beside me, and then she rolls over. Her eyes are still closed, and her voice is thick with sleep.

"What time is it?" she asks.

"Still late. Go to back to sleep,"

"Goodnight, Cato." she whispers. She

nods, and then curls up and rests her head on my shoulder. I don't know if she meant to, because she is still half asleep, but I didn't want to move her. I rest my cheek on her forehead, and then words slip out of my mouth before I can stop them.

"Promise me something," I whisper.

"What?" she asks.

"Don't die." I say. I am asking her not to die here, in this arena. I am asking her to be strong. She stares at me, and it takes her a moment to answer.

"That's not something I can promise."

**Hello :) so, this is a fluffy chapter :P the next one will be more action packed ;) please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Katniss POV**

I wake up early, the sun is just rising. I sit up, stretching out because I slept curled up in a ball beside Cato and my muscles are sore. He is still asleep, and I'm amazed at how... calm he looks. He doesn't have the smirk or the usual urgency he has on his face.

I look at the others, who are still for Marvel. He catches my eye, and he narrows his and glares at me. I smile at him, because I want him to remember that I beat him at training. He wrinkles his nose, a sign that he did, and turns back to the forest. I let out a quiet laugh, and then I look at Clove and Peeta, who were still asleep, back to back. Had we not been in the Hunger Games, I would have found it cute. But we're here. I turn back at Cato, who is awake and sitting up, staring at the trees.

"How long have you been up?" he asks. He glances at me, and then turns and faces me completely.

"Not long," I respond. He nods, and then stands and walks over to Clove and Peeta. He scowls at them, and then kicks Peeta awake. He kneels down and shakes Clove awake. She wakes, and then stares at Cato with wide eyes as Peeta stands and walks away. Cato glares at her with unforgiving eyes. He leaves her without a word. He grabs some food, and then returns and sits beside me. He hands me some bread and fruit, and a water bottle. I eat the bread quickly, and then I chew on the fruit. Cato isn't saying anything, he is just scowling while he eats his food.

"What's wrong?" I ask him.

"Nothing he responds," and then wolf's down the rest of his food and then jumps up and grabs his sword.

"Come on. We need to go." he growls.

No one argues because we all know Cato is angry, and no one wants to die today.

We set off at a fast walk, with Cato and I in the lead. Glimmer and Clove are behind us, and then Marvel and Peeta take up the rear. Glimmer is trying to get Cato's attention, but he instead looks at me.

"Are you sure you can do what is necessary when the time comes?" he asks me.

"Ugh... Yes," I lie. because truthfully, I know I'm not.

"Do you have a weapon?" he asks. I pull out my knife and I can hear Clove shriek behind me.

"Mine!" she snaps and grabs the knife out of my hands. Cato rolls his eyes and he pulls out a sharp, heavy knife and hands it to me. I take it and quickly put it away, out of reach for Clove's fast hands. Cato lets out a small smile when Clove growls at me, but then there is a flash of grey and I can hear twigs snapping.

"District 10!" Glimmer cries. Cato's response is almost too fast. He takes off at a run, and I follow with Glimmer, Clove, Peeta and Marvel behind us. Glimmer shoves me out-of-the-way to keep up with Cato. I growl and continue running. I nearly crash into Glimmer, and then Clove does the same with me, when Glimmer comes to a sudden stop. I step out, going beside Glimmer to see why she stopped. And then I find out.

Cato has the District 10 boy pinned against a tree. He looks at us, and then motions for me to come forward. I freeze, and stare at him.

"She won't be able to do it, Cato!" Glimmer says, exasperated. Cato raises his eyebrows and looks at me, questioning me. I can't kill an innocent boy. But then there is a knife at the back of my neck.

"If you don't, I will kill you." Clove hisses in my ear.

I look at the boy, who looks at me... and then nods. My mouth drops open, and I stare at him.

"Hurry!" Clove yells, and then I feel the knife slide across my skin. I cry out, and I can see Cato looking at me with what looks like general concern in his eyes. I walk towards them, and I can feel my heart in my throat. I feel awful. I feel like I'm about to cry. I feel so many terrible emotions welling up inside me. The Gale's words ring in my head.

_They're no different, Katniss._

But they are. Animals and humans are completely different.

But the thought of Gale and my home make me move forwards. I reach the two boys, who are so different from each other. The District 10 boy is almost as tall as Cato and in pretty good shape... but he is no match to the tall, muscled, blonde wonder. I pull out my knife, and then look at Cato. He nods, and pins the boy harder against the tree. I press the knife against the boys neck, and look once again into his dark green eyes. He is trembling, but he nods again.

"I'm sorry," I mouth. He nods, and then closes his eyes.

I'm fast in my movements. I slit the boys throat and he begins choking and gurgling. Cato drops him, and he writhes on the ground. It takes a few moments for the canon to go off.

It seems like eternity to me.

The others are grinning, and then they turn and continue walking through the woods. I'm left with Cato, still looking at the boy I killed.

"Does it ever get easier?" I whisper.

"What?" he asks.

"The... ki..." I can't bring myself to say it, so I just nod to the dead body.

"Not really... It will become less painful, but it takes a long time." he whispers. I begin to think... how does he know this? Has he killed before the Games? How could he?

"Cato... How do you know? Have you killed before?" I ask. I want to know if he has killed before this. But he doesn't answer. Instead, he walks beside me, and presses his forehead against my temple. I sigh and close my eyes, and then he gently puts a hand on my back and we go to find the others.


	6. Chapter 6

**Cato POV**

Katniss is walking silently beside me. She is gazing at the grass, and I can only guess what she is thinking. She is replaying the death in her head, not purposely of course, but you can't help it. The first time is always the hardest. It was for me.

I glance at Katniss, and she looks up at me. We hold each others gaze, and I feel myself move closer to her. She is breathing deeply, and she closes her eyes as I closed the space between us. She didn't push me away, she rested her head on my chest. I put my hand on her arm and rested my lips on her head. Suddenly, there was a scream that made Katniss and I jump away from each other. I grab the hilt of my sword, ready to pull it out, but then I see someone run through the woods. Then I spot Glimmer.

"Cato!" she cries. I'm very confused, but then I see a tall, dark figure running after her. Thresh. I run forwards, Katniss behind me. But we don't get there in time. Thresh grabs Glimmer, and shoves his knife through her chest. She lets out a gasp, and then Thresh throws her to the side. He sees me, and turns around, running through the trees and then he runs into a clearing. But before I can reach him, Marvel and Clove jump forward from where they were kneeling down. I wonder how Glimmer could have run into Thresh without any of the others noticing, then it dawns on me. Glimmer, who is making sure her hair is in place. She must have went to the water to check her reflection, where Thresh must have been.

Marvel reaches Thresh first, and Thresh doesn't hesitate in plunging his sword in his chest. Marvel cries out, and then falls to his knees. Clove jumps over him, and I follow after her. Peeta has jumped to his feet, and is running after me. I glance behind me, and I see Katniss burst into the clearing. In her hands are the bow and arrows. I stop, and then she nods and yells something. I take it as a go, and then turn and run after Thresh.

**Katniss POV**

I run into the clearing the bow and arrows in my hands. I couldn't resist taking them. I see Cato, Peeta and Clove disappearing into the trees. Cato sees me, and then stops.

"It's ok, go!" I yell, even though he probably can't hear me. But he seems to understand, and then turns and runs after the others. I debate running after them, but then I hear a groan. I look for the source of the noise, and find Marvel on the ground. He is severely wounded. I walk up to him, and then kneel beside him. He is coughing, and blood is seeping from his wound, and from his mouth. He glares at me as I stare at him.

"What are you staring at, fireball?" he says. I smirk at him, and at the nickname he gave me. He's only said it once, and that's when I first joined the careers. I was jumpy, and he bumped into me. I jumped around, knife in hand. He had laughed, and then called me fireball.

"Nothing at all, marvelous." I say. That is something I wanted to call him for a while, but I've never had the opportunity. And I never will. And I feel my throat tighten. I don't know Marvel very well, and I'm sure he wanted to kill me at one point, maybe he still does, but I don't think he should die. Not this young. Not today.

"Marvelous?" he asks, letting out a small, pained laugh.

"Yep," I say. He smiles again, but then a wave of pain makes him groan. I cringe as he groans and curls up. "You can get through this, Marvel. You can't die today." I whisper.

"No... Not this time..." he rasps and his green eyes open. They were once so full of life and light, but now I can see the light fading from his bright green orbs.

"Marvel... please," I whisper. He lets out a small smile, but then his eyes start to close. I become frightened, and I grab his hand and think of something, anything to say to him. "Marvel? You can't leave. Dammit, wake up! Please..." I cry. Marvel opens his eyes, and looks at me weakly. He pulls on my hand, and I lean down so my ear is next to his mouth.

"Promise me... something," he whispers. I look at him, nod and his green eyes lock on mine.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Fight. Never stop fighting," he whispers and tightens his grip on my hand.

Then he's gone.

His cannon fires and I wait a moment before pulling my hand out of his and standing up. I look down at Marvel. I never thought I had feelings for Marvel, and I don't feel for him the way I do about Cato, but I wondered if we just lived normally, if we neighbors, we most likely would have been close friends. I would have been able to joke with him, and we would have been friends.

But we won't ever be that. We don't live a normal life. We're thrown into this arena and now Marvel's dead.

I back away from Marvel slowly, as if he is asleep and I'm trying not to wake him. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn to see Cato standing behind me. He is staring at Marvel. I see Peeta standing with Clove, who has a gash across her face,most likely from Thresh's word.

"Where's Thresh?" I ask Cato, my voice almost a whisper.

"He got away," Cato says, sneering. I wonder how he could have escaped, but decide against asking them. I turn back to Marvel for the last time, and then Cato gives me a gently push and I begin walking, Clove beside me, and Peeta and Cato behind us.

**Cato POV**

I am so angry. That bastard got away. It was Clove who had, stupidly, reached him, and then attacked him. She jumped on him, and then he grabbed her and threw her off, but not before slicing her face with his sword. She cried out, something she has never done. I couldn't help but stop beside her, as did Peeta, and by the time I had gotten to my feet, which was merely seconds, Thresh had disappeared.

We return to the Cornucopia, and Clove disappears with Peeta. I was angry before, when I saw the two of them sleeping beside each other, but I know that Peeta won't hurt her. He has a bandage and he tends to her wound. It looks painful, very painful but it is her fault. Katniss sits beside me, and draws her knees up to her chest.

"Thresh escaped?" she asks me.

"Yes," I growl. I look away from her, not wanting to look at her innocent face because it calms me down, and I just want to be angry.

"Look at me."

I turn to her, a scowl on my face. She looks grim-faced. Her hand goes up to my face and she pulls me closer to her. "Listen, I know you're angry but pushing me away won't help." she whispers. I know she's right. I sigh, closing my eyes and I rest my head on hers.

"You never answered my question," she whispers.

"What question?" I ask her.

"Have you ever killed before?" she says.

I'm unwilling to answer her. I don't want to tell her the truth. But I think I need to. "Yes."

"Who?" she asks, opening her eyes and staring at me, her soft grey orbs locking on mine.

I hesitate before answering. "My brother." I whisper.

Her mouth falls open and she has to look away. "How?" she whispers.

I sigh, before the story comes out. "I didn't mean to. It was wintertime and we were out on the ice. We were with my little sister, Saffra. I was thirteen, my brother was sixteen, and Saffra was six. I was stupid, and I didn't realize how thin the ice was. My brother, Talon, was trying to warn me, but I didn't listen. I ran out, Saffra running after me. It was fine for a while but then Saffra stepped on a thin piece of ice. She fell through. I ran after her, but then I fell through too. Talon went out after us, and he reached Saffra first, but she couldn't hold on and she slipped under the water. He went in without hesitating. The water was so cold, and I couldn't move. I was frozen. But then I saw Talon jump out of the water, with Saffra in his arms. He had to crawl back, and he fell in once more. But he was able to get back to shore. He got her back, and then he went back for me. He fell in twice on his way. I don't know how he was able to do it. I was so cold, but he got to me. He pulled me out, and then began shoving me back to shore. I noticed that he couldn't move, it looked like his limbs were starting to freeze. But he didn't look angry, only scared. He punched me to keep moving, and I continued crawling. But then I hear ice crack. I looked back... and he was gone. I tried to reach him, but the ice began cracking and I had to run back. We couldn't get to him in time because we were by ourselves, and I had to run for fifteen minutes before I got back. By the time we returned, he was dead. We never found his body. It's my fault. If I had listened to him... If I hadn't gone out... he would still be alive. Everyday, his face haunts me. I have nightmares about the ice, about him slipping and me not being able to reach him. It's my fault... my fault he's dead." I whisper. It's the first time I've ever told someone else what happened. I didn't even tell my parents.

Katniss was silent while I spoke. And now that I look at her, I see she is crying. She is making a noise, only letting silent tears run down her face.

"Cato, you can't blame yourself." she says.

"How can you say that!? You have no idea what it feels like! You have no idea what it's like to lose someone you care about-"

"Yes I do! Don't you dare say that again!" she yells. I'm taken aback by her sharp, angry tone. "I've lost someone I love! I didn't know if I could continue after it happened! But you have to! You think they'd want you to live your life filled with regret and remorse? Not living, just a memory of the person who was lost. No. He died for you. He saved you. He wants you to live. Don't disgrace him by wasting his sacrifice!" she yells.

I'm stunned. I stare at her, until her words sink in. Then it feels as though a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. My brother did die for me, but he died to give me life, and I was wasting his final gift. I smile at Katniss, who leans forward and kisses me on the head. I catch her face in my hands and kiss her on the lips.

She falls asleep beside me. Before I let myself lie down, I look up at the sky.

"Thank you, Talon." I whisper.

Tonight is the first night in five years I don't wake because of a nightmare of that day on the ice.

_**Hello :) Guys, I have a bit of a problem. I'm really starting to love Marvel :'( not as much as Cato, obviously :P! Anywho, I was watching a movie while I wrote this and a death scene came on with heart-breakingly sad music. And I was like "Must write death scene!" and I almost started crying. Marvel /3 Anyway, please leave a review :3 they're wonderful. **_


	7. Chapter 7

**Katniss POV**

I can't sleep. Vivid images of the boy from District 10 dying and then Marvel fill my dreams. I wake in the middle of the night, gasping because I relived Marvel's death. I sit up, hugging my knees to my chest.

"Bad dream?"

My head snaps around, to where Peeta is sitting beside Clove, who is asleep. He has a hand on her shoulder, and is watching her protectively.

"Yes..." I say. I realize this is the first time we have spoken since the games started.

"What was it about?" he asks softly. He removes his hand from Clove's shoulder, and then moves and sits beside me. He looks at me with his kind blue eyes, which are illuminated by the soft moonlight.

"It was about... Marvel," I admit, I'm almost embarrassed about it. We're from District 12, we're not supposed to care about the careers, but I'm not the only one who's guilty.

"Did you... love him?" Peeta asks me.

"What? No, no, not at all. I just... I don't know. He seemed..." I drifted off, at a loss.

"Kind?" Peeta says.

"Maybe. I didn't know him well, but I feel terrible for him. He shouldn't have gone." I tell him. I wonder if he will think poorly of me for feeling for not just one, but two careers. I wonder if he thinks my ice block of a heart is going soft. But then I realize something. In the Hunger Games, I think you need a strong heart, but also a soft spot. It's sometimes easier to lock yourself away, lock your heart away, but if you do that you might lose if forever. I've locked my heart away a long time, ever since my father died. And now it may be time for me to let people into my heart. But there is a problem with allowing people to get into your heart is that it may be broken. But I can't hide from that forever.

"I know," Peeta says softly.

"Do you?! She's still alive. What pain have you felt!?" I almost scream. I don't know why I'm so mad, but it just happened. I guess the lack of sleep, mixed with losing Marvel is a terrible mix.

"Don't yell. No, I haven't lost her but I did care about Marvel. I care about you, and dare I say, Cato... kind of," he says and glances at Cato, as if he scared he heard him. "and I'm scared everyday that one of you will die. You have no idea. It makes me stop, I get so frightened that I can't move. It's sick what they're doing. But we need each other to survive." he says.

"They won't kill us?" I ask him.

"I... I don't know. Maybe. They've been trained their entire life for the Games. Maybe that side my take over," he tells me. He's not looking at me, he is staring at the ground.

"But you said we need them to survive?"

"We do. But... in a different way... I... I just can't explain it," he says. I let out a little smile. Peeta confuses at me, but makes sense at the same time. We do need them to survive, because they help us stay sane and they don't make us turn into crazed, blood-thirsty killers. Because we aren't. And they may be killers, but they are better than that.

But at the same time... I'm scared that I'll forget who I am and I will kill without a second thought. No, no that won't happen. It can't.

I see Cato beside Clove. He is checking her, and she suddenly wakes up and almost slaps Cato in the face before he grabs her hand and pins it to the ground. She stares at him with anger, and then her mouth slides into a sly smile, which Cato returns with a smirk. He stands up, and then reaches down and pulls her up. When she gets to her feet, she whispers something to him and he pulls her close and leans down and whispers in her ear. I begin to feel scared, and by the look on Peeta's face, he is too. What are they saying? Is Peeta right? Are they planning to kill us?

**Cato POV**

Clove's sly smile spreads across her face and I smirk at her. I've honestly missed talking to Clove. We've been friends since childhood, and she acts like a sister to me. I reach down and take her hand, as I've done so many times. She hops to her feet, and then she stands on her toes and brings her mouth as close as she can to my ear.

"I'm scared." she whispers. I'm honestly worried. She has never said such a thing in her life. She is so strong, she has never ever shown if she was frightened in her life. Well, almost. She has only shown fright if it involves someone she cares about. Like her older brother, Brynn, when he was chosen for the 71st annual Hunger Games...

_I was waiting for Clove outside the Justice Building. I was kicking up the grass, because I was waiting for almost forty-five minutes. Just as I was about to begin kicking up the grass with my other foot, Clove bursts out of the door. Her sudden appearance makes me jump. And then her face makes my heart-break. Her usual neat hair is tousled, falling down in dark waves in front of her face. Her face is blotchy and red, and then I saw something I've never seen on her before in my lifetime. Tears. They were streaming down her face. She looks at me, and without words, she runs forward and collapses in my arms. I hold her tightly while she cries._

_"I'm scared," she whispers between sobs._

_"I know."_

_"I don't want to lose him."_

_"You won't," I say. I pull her away from me and hold her at arm's length. "You won't lose him, Clove." I say and then pull her back into my embrace. I know she loves her brother more than anything and he loves her because they don't have anyone else. Her father is dead and her mother is a drunk._

_She believed me when she said she wouldn't lose him..._

_But she did. He was the last to die, and his death was one of the worst that's ever happened in the games. It was down to him, and a monster from 1. The battle lasted five hours. By the end, Brynn, was stabbed in the stomach, which caused him to go to his knees. And then the other boy grabbed him, but he wasn't done. He tied him to a tree, and then lit a torch. He burned him for half an hour, but the entire time, Brynn remained silent, only biting his lip until blood streamed down his chin. The District 1 boy yelled at him, and then raised his sword, asking if he had any last words. Brynn looked up at the sky, a smile forming on his lips._

_"Goodbye, little angel."_

_And then a sword came down at his neck._

_Little angel. That's what he called Clove, because she was his little angel._

_I was with Clove. We were sitting alone, and Clove actually fainted. When she woke up, she cried for nine hours. I stayed with her the whole time. Now that Brynn was gone, she needed another brother and she had one, me._

And she still has me, but I don't think she's talking about me when she says she scared. I glance at the blonde boy behind me, who is watching her with protective eyes. I feel upset about it, but she needs someone. At the same time... I'm scared for her to get attached to him, because I know he will die and she will be heart-broken. I can't take it if I see her in such a state again. But then I snap back to reality. We're in the Hunger Games. There's only one victor. I'm going to have to lose the people I love. My little adopted sister, I think as I hug her, and then I glance behind me and the beautiful, grey irises capture mine. And I realize something that makes my heart-break. I will lose her too.

_**Next one will have more action, I promise :P leave a review pretty please! **_


	8. Chapter 8

**Katniss POV**

I catch Cato's icy gaze. He's holding Clove, but is staring at me while he does so. I wish I could tell what I was thinking, but I can't. Cato is always hidden, always. He hides behind a mask of smirks and frightening glares. I know what it's like to hide emotions, but I've never hidden like him. He's a mystery to me.

Cato breaks away from my eyes and pulls away from Clove, and walks over to me. He sits down beside me, but he doesn't look at me. He watches Clove as she sits against a tree because she's on watch tonight. Peeta lies down beside her and is asleep almost immediately. Cato finally looks at me, and then lies down and gestures for me to join him. I do without a second thought. I'm only a few inches away from him, and he is still staring at me.

"What are you thinking about?" I whisper, hoping Clove doesn't hear us. Cato chews on his bottom lip, a habit he has when he is thinking about something. But he doesn't answer me. He just shrugs.

"Why do you hide from me?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" he says.

"You're hidden. It's like you're wearing a mask. You don't want to show who you truly are."

"Everyone wear's a mask, whether they realize it or not. You do, girl on fire. Marvel did," he says, and I cringe when Marvel comes back into my memory. "Clove does... everyone does." he adds.

"But why? You know me-"

"Do I?" he whispers.

Does he? He makes me feel like no one else ever has, but he doesn't know everything about me. But he does know a lot.

"You know a lot..." I whisper.

"But sometimes you're still a mystery."

"Some mysteries are never meant to be solved."

Cato considers this, but then nods and puts his arm around me, drawing me closer to him. I curl up, relishing the heat his body gives off. I fall asleep quickly... and I don't wake until I hear a piercing scream.

**Cato POV**

I'm asleep, dreaming of home, when a scream wakes me up... followed by a loud thud. I sit up immediately, and I see Clove looming over a small, shrunken form. Katniss is out of my arms and beside Clove in an instant, and I join them. It's the little girl from 11. She must have been in a tree, but Clove's hearing is perfect. If Clove saw her... Clove never misses when she has a knife. Katniss is grim-faced, but I can't imagine why she would care about the little girl. Peeta goes up behind her, and nudges her in the arm.

"Your shadow," he says and nods at the little, dead girl lying before us.

Katniss nods, stares at the little girl. But then it starts to make sense to me. During training, I would see this little girl following and watching Katniss, similar to a shadow. Then I also remember the times I would be on watch, and I would hear a slight movement in the darkness. This little person really was Katniss's shadow, always watching her.

Katniss looks around, and then spots a small flower beside Clove's foot. She picks it, and then places it on the little girls chest. She stays on her knees, staring at her. Peeta and I don't move either, but Clove starts to get bored. She wanders over to the treeline, and then something seems to catch her eye. She tilts her head, and then walks into the tree. It drives me crazy when she does that. I stand up, about to yell at her to get back, but her own scream interrupts me.

"CATO! CATO! PEETA!"

And then there's a loud thud and her screams stop. Then there's a cannon.

**Katniss POV**

"CATO! CATO! PEETA!"

Her screams make me jerk. I stand up, and run after Cato and Peeta. We burst into the trees and to a clearing... where Clove is lying dead at Thresh's feet.


	9. Chapter 9

**Katniss POV**

Everything happens in a blur. Cato lurches forward, and attacks Thresh. Peeta is screaming Clove's name. I'm in shock, and then something hits me in the back of the head. I crumple to my knees and black spots explode across my vision. And I feel warm blood run down my neck and back. Then there is another blow, and the world starts to darken. I roll on my back, and stare at the person who hit me. And there stands the red-haired, girl from District 5, Foxface. She and Thresh formed an alliance? How? When?

She looks evil, her lip curling as she lets out a snarl like sound. Her hands holds a large piece of wood. The wood sparkles with red. She holds up the wood, about to give the last blow, when I come back to my senses and I kick her as hard as I can in the knee. I hear a crunch, and the girls cries. My vision has cleared, and I'm on my knees, pulling an arrow out and placing it in the bow, and I'm able to get to my knees, but then Foxface jumps forward and tackles me. I stumble backwards, and we both fall into the small pond behind us. She grabs my hair, and tries to hit me, but I jump backwards in the water, so she only succeeds in pulling my hair loose from its braid. My hair covers my eyes, and I don't see Foxface until she's right in front of me. I grab her by the hair, ripping her out of the two buns, and then I feel a rock digging into my left side. I pull her towards me, and then smash her head against the rock. I let her go, and push myself up. I've inhaled a lot of water, and I'm coughing a lot. I roll on my back on the grass, and then I see the fiery red hair. I stand up, brushing the wet hair from my eyes, and I retrieve my bow from where I dropped it. By the time she's up, it's too late for her. The arrows already in the air and it penetrates her skull, and the cannon sounds.

I'm still coughing, water coming out of my lungs. Then I remember. I look up, and I see Cato and Thresh fighting. Peeta is still beside Clove, but he seems like he's shut down completely. He is gazing at nothing.

"Peeta?" I call out.

And then he snaps back. Hatred floods his eyes and he's on his feet, running to Thresh and Cato. Thresh grabs Cato by the shoulders, and tosses him into a tree. Cato's back comes in contact with the large trunk, and I see Cato's face twist in pain. I'm running towards him, but Peeta's already beat me. Then I know what he's planning to do. He runs at Thresh, but he doesn't stand a chance against him.

"Peeta! Peeta, no!" I cry out, but it's too late. Then Tresh grabs Peeta by the neck, and slams his head against a tree. He does it once, twice, three times and then drops him. Peeta has a dent in his skull, and then a cannon goes off. Cato's staring at him, his mouth open in mute shock. Then I realise something. It's only Thresh, Cato and me left. We're the last ones. Thresh realises that too. He takes his sword, and raises it, but Cato is on his feet. He brings his own sword up just in time. But Thresh forgot about me. I take my last arrow, and aim it at his neck.

**Cato POV**

Thresh's blade comes down on mine. I'm shoved against a tree, and I don't know if I'll be able to fight him this time. But then I see Katniss. Her last arrow is in the air, and I can see she's aiming at Thresh's neck. Like Clove, she never misses. The arrow hits his neck, and he falls to his knees. Then I raise my sword and bring it down on his neck so hard that his head topples off his body. Katniss is beside me, cringing at the horrific sight.

"Cato, we're the only two left." she whispers.

"What... how?" I respond. I couldn't understand it... and me of all people should understand it.

"The bloodbath took out a lot. Then you guys went hunting that night. You took almost everyone. Then District 10, Glimmer, Marvel. They're gone." she whispers.

She's right. Everyone's gone, expect for her and I. But now what? They expect us to kill each other? No way in hell that's happening. But I think they knew that, because before I can say another word to her, three huge mutts bound out of the forest. Katniss screams, and then she grabs my hand and we both start running. I have no idea where we're going. Katniss leaps over a log, and I follow in her suit. I take up the lead, Katniss is coughing, because she fell into the water. She starts coughing horribly, and has to stop.

"No, don't stop!" I scream, and try to pull her forwards. She nods, and then begins running. But then a mutt leaps out from behind a bush. It bound forwards, and jumps on me. I fall to the ground, pulling Katniss with me. And the other mutts catch up with us. I hear Katniss's cries of pain, and then I hear mine. The teeth rip into my skin, and I can feel chunks of flesh being torn off my body. I hear Katniss screaming my name, and I scream hers. I don't know if we can both survive this... the odds aren't in our favor. But they never were.

**Katniss POV**

The mutts rip at me, tearing away my flesh. Blood is flooding out of my veins. I'm feeling weaker and weaker as each second passes. I know that I won't be able to survive this. But he can.

The mutts suddenly disappear. I'm left on the ground, too weak to move. I hear Cato saying my name. He crawls over to me, but blackness is seeping into my vision. I see the blue eyes, the beautiful blue eyes that I love so. I smile at him, memories of him slipping replaying in my mind. The last thing I see are those blue eyes, and I feel safe, like I always have around him. I always feel safe around the person I love.

**Cato POV**

The light slips our of her grey eyes and I hear the cannon.

She's gone. Forever.

I begin screaming, yelling, cursing at the air, knowing the cameras see me. The people better see me. They better feel the pain I'm feeling. She's mine and they took her away from me. They will pay. They will not get away with taking her from me.

And they did. I killed three peacekeepers. Then, when I met Seneca Crane. And I snapped his neck. Screams filled the air, and I was arrested that night. Snow came to me...

_They tied me down. I don't bother struggling. There's no point. Then, from behind the heavy glass that they use to imprison me, there's a pair of cold blue eyes staring at me. President Snow._

_"What do you want?" I hiss. I refuse to worship him as I once did... how could I have ever done so?_

_"Why did you do it Cato? You had so much potential. We wanted you. What happened to you?"_

_"She was mine. And you took her away."_

_"She was an insignificant District 12 girl-"_

_"NO! She wasn't! She's mine! She always was! She never belonged to you! You stupid, worthless bastard! I will kill you!" I yell and I begin thrashing. I struggle, screaming at him. And then my binds break. I jump forwards, but the president's being dragged out by peacekeepers. But he looks at me, and I slam my hand against the glass, the supposedly unbreakable glass. And it cracks under my fist. He stares at me with horror, and then he disappears._

_I was imprisoned for two years, then the rebels found me. They told me their original plan was to use Katniss as the Mockingjay. She was to be the symbol, the hope the people needed. When she died, their plan was ruined. In the end, they used a boy Katniss knew, Gale I think his name was, as the symbol of hope. They knew the anger I had towards Snow, so__ they offered me the chance to kill him. I gladly took it. But it came with a price. The rebels imprisoned me as well, after they considered me still dangerous, which was true. But then I was taken out to kill President Snow. And I did. I made it slow, painful and he was begging for death. I didn't give him his wish. _

_"You will know what they all went through. You will know the pain."_

_I told him that. He will know the pain the tributes went through. He will die like they died. Like she died..._

It's been a two years since the Capitol's downfall and Snow's death. The rebels have kept me locked up because I got in a fight with Gale. He said he loved Katniss, and my anger boiled over. I broke his nose, and then several soldiers dragged me away. I killed three of them. They lost all trust in me, and I can't blame them.

I'm sitting in the cell where I was held before. The glass still has a crack in it. I've been told to wait for President Coin, and she will tell me what will be done now. I sit on the hard cot and I know I won't stay here. I'm still a prisoner. I always will be. I reach down to where a knife was hidden in my boot. I slowly pull it out, and I see the blue of my eyes staring back at me. I can't handle being imprisoned anymore.

I won the Hunger Games... but with great cost. She never leaves my mind. Her grey eyes haunt me. I awake in the middle of the night, covered in sweat and shaking because I dream of her. I dream she is there, in the woods, her dark hair cascading down her back and her slender body wrapped in a white dress. She is waiting for me.

After years of being imprisoned in my mind, living in my own personal hell, I decide to join her.

We could never be together in life, so we'll be together in death. Forever.

**_Hello :P so, this is it. I hope you guys don't hate me for killing Katniss... I'm sorry :( anyway, hoped you liked it! _**


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